Negro Folk Rhymes Part 8

Now 'umble Uncle Steben, I wonders whar youse gwine?

Don't never tu'n yo' back, Suh, On dat good ole gooseberry wine!

Oh walk chalk, Ginger Blue!

Git over double trouble.

You needn' min' de wedder So's de win' don't blow you double.

_Now!_ Uncle Mack! Uncle Mack!

Did you ever see de lak?

Dat good ole sweet gooseberry wine Call Uncle Steben back.

I'D RATHER BE A NEGRO THAN A POOR WHITE MAN

My name's Ran, I wuks in de san'; But I'd druther be a n.i.g.g.e.r dan a po' white man.

Gwineter hitch my oxes side by side, An' take my gal fer a big fine ride.

Gwineter take my gal to de country sto'; Gwineter dress her up in red calico.

You take Kate, an' I'll take Joe.

Den off we'll go to de pahty-o.

Gwineter take my gal to de Hullabaloo, Whar dere hain't no [16]Crackers in a mile or two.

_Interlocution_:

(Fiddler) "Oh, Sal! Whar's de milk strainer cloth?"

(Banjo Picker) "Bill's got it wropped 'round his ole sore leg."

(Fiddler) "Well, take it down to de gum spring an' give it a cold water rench; I 'spizes nastness anyway.

I'se got to have a clean cloth fer de milk."

He don't lak whisky but he jest drinks a can.

Honey! I'd druther be a n.i.g.g.e.r dan a po' white man.

I'd druther be a n.i.g.g.e.r, an' plow ole Beck Dan a white [16]Hill Billy wid his long red neck.

[16] Names applied by Negroes to the poorer cla.s.s of white people in the South.

THE HUNTING CAMP

Sam got up one mornin'

A mighty big fros'.

Saw "A louse, in de huntin' camp As big as any hoss!"

Sam run 'way down de mountain; But w'en Mosser got dar, He swore it twusn't nothin'

But a big black b'ar.

THE ARK

Ole Nora had a lots o' hands A clearin' new ground patches.

He said he's gwineter build a Ark, An' put tar on de hatches.

He had a sa.s.sy Mo'gan hoss An' gobs of big fat cattle; An' he driv' em all aboard de Ark, W'en he hear de thunder rattle.

An' den de river riz so fas'

Dat it bust de levee railin's.

De lion got his dander up, An' he lak to a broke de palin's.

An' on dat Ark wus daddy Ham; No udder n.i.g.g.e.r on dat packet.

He soon got tired o' de Barber Shop, Caze he couln' stan' de racket.

An' den jes to amuse hisse'f, He steamed a board an' bent it, Son.

Dat way he got a banjer up, Fer ole Ham's de fust to make one.

Dey danced dat Ark from een to een, Ole Nora called de Figgers.

Ole Ham, he sot an' knocked de chunes, De happiest of de n.i.g.g.e.rs.

GRAY AND BLACK HORSES

I went down to de woods an' I couldn' go 'cross, So I paid five dollars fer an ole gray hoss.

De hoss wouldn' pull, so I sol' 'im fer a bull.

De bull wouldn' holler, so I sol' 'im fer a dollar.

De dollar wouldn' pa.s.s, so I throwed it in de gra.s.s.

Den de gra.s.s wouldn' grow. Heigho! Heigho!

Through dat huckleberry woods I couldn' git far, So I paid a good dollar fer an ole black mar'.

W'en I got down dar, de trees wouldn' bar; So I had to gallop back on dat ole black mar'.

"Bookitie-bar!" Dat ole black mar'; "Bookitie-bar!" Dat ole black mar'.

Yes she trabble so hard dat she jolt off my ha'r.

RATTLER

Go call ole Rattler from de bo'n.

Here Rattler! Here!

He'll drive de cows out'n de co'n, Here Rattler! Here!

Rattler is my huntin' dog.

Here Rattler! Here!

He's good fer rabbit, good fer hog, Here Rattler! Here!

He's good fer 'possum in de dew.

Here Rattler! Here!

Sometimes he gits a chicken, too.